


Magic Moment

by alphaofallcats



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Jean Kirstein Is an Idiot, M/M, Minor Sasha Blouse/Connie Springer, Polyamory, Witch Jean Kirstein
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 14:06:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15317106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphaofallcats/pseuds/alphaofallcats
Summary: "Well, I think you've at least learned something very valuable with this.""Not to make love potions?""No, that Eren likes chocolate cake."Based off that tumblr prompt where Person A gives Person B a love potion but it doesn’t work because Person B already loves Person A.





	Magic Moment

**Author's Note:**

> Balloons and confetti to Kiyah for all your support in this nearly year-long project. Seriously, this would have never been finished without you.
> 
> Also, this is my first time writing magic/witchy things ~~so ignore all the plot holes and shit that doesn’t make sense.~~

Jean kind of hated himself right now. What was supposed to be a dumb, half joke-half serious attempt to spur on his love life turned into a mild disaster. The love potion was supposed to go to Marco and Marco was supposed to come to him with heart eyes and needy hands, and the rest of their lives would be spent under a spell that entangled them both. 

Eren was not supposed to get the love potion. At all. Period. Nope. No way. He didn't want Eren to get the love potion because he couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life with that asshole. But Eren did. And Marco did. And the worst of all was that it didn't work. He'd gotten his hopes up way too high but the reality of it came crashing down. Either the potion failed or both Marco and Eren weren't in any way romantically attracted to him so it had no effect.

The latter was more plausible but that didn't make it hurt any less.

—

"So you gave Marco a love potion?" Sasha was staring at him like he was the biggest idiot in the entire world. He felt like one so it wasn't uncalled for. "Why?"

Muffins were in the oven, but the smell of freshly baked cookies was constant and unending, like honey slowly dripping down the side of a jar. It always smelled like this, and after knowing Sasha for so long, it came as a comfort. Jean knew this was just something that came easily to her, making the atmosphere warm, cozy, and inviting, thus allowing people to open up and spill their feelings. It had nothing to do with her day job and more to do with the fact that it made strangers uncomfortable and thus warded off any possible bad energy.

"It wasn't exactly a love potion," he explained, trying and failing not to blush. "It was just supposed to speed things up if he did feel anything. Just, you know, make him act on it, so at least I would know..."

"If things were reciprocated? You could have just asked him, you know. Not gone through painstaking efforts to make him a cake, which you and I both know you suck at."

"Gee, thanks, why hadn't I thought that?" 

Sasha laughed at him. "I'm still confused though, what does Eren have to do with this?"

Jean's face flushed an even deeper shade of red and he reached out to twiddle with the hem of the napkin by his teacup. "Apparently Eren was hanging out with Marco last week and Marco, the ever amazing host, offered him a slice of cake. I didn't even _know_ until I saw Eren yesterday and he not-so-subtly said he preferred chocolate cake, and then I told him I'd shove one in his face. Like the asshole he is, he said if I was going to even go to such lengths, he liked chocolate frosting."

"Devil's food," she hummed with a smug smile. She tapped the pencil she was holding against her cheek. He had stormed in while she was brainstorming ideas for her cooking blog, and he was thankful she never minded being interrupted. "Then what happened?"

"Nothing."

"What about Marco?"

"Nothing."

Sasha pointed the pencil at him. "Well, I think you've at least learned something very valuable with this."

"Not to make love potions?"

"No, that Eren likes chocolate cake."

—

Later that evening, Sasha's blog updated.

_10 Tips to Make the Perfect Chocolate Cake._

Jean screamed into his pillow.

—

"It failed. Again."

The apartment was as welcoming as always and it soothed Jean's nerves. He found Sasha where he always found her, in the kitchen. He was always slightly fond of it. It had cream-colored walls and soft lighting, wood countertops and dark cabinets. Dried herbs were hanging in neat rows on the back wall. Jars of spices and jellies littered the open shelving. Connie was elbow deep in soapy water at the sink, washing measuring cups and utensils. 

Sasha looked up from the carrots she was slicing and gave him a long, helpless stare. "Don't tell me... more cake?"

"Cupcakes," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. He took a seat on the barstool at the island with a hard sigh. "I made chocolate cupcakes. For Eren.“

"Jean!" She looked at him with wide, unbelieving eyes. "You made Eren love potion cupcakes? What happened to _'I will never date him ever because we’re mortal enemies and I’m going to hex him–'_ ” Her eyes narrowed and she stabbed the knife on the cutting board. “Oh, gods, please tell me you did not try to hex him with cupcakes?”

"Um, well, I just... I like both of them, okay? A whole fucking lot and I realized that I hate Eren so much; he's a fucking bastard and I can't imagine him… not being in my life. I kinda want him around, in any capacity. Just, a lot more...”

“Huh.” She turned and grabbed the teapot from the shelf behind her, leaning over Connie to fill it with tap water. “I’m curious now. Why did you try again?”

"Because I was too hopeful. I thought maybe if it didn't work on Marco it might on Eren, but I was wrong and now I have cake batter setting into the cracks on my counter top, and Eren didn't even really like them–"

"You know," Connie interrupted, grabbing a nearby dish towel to dry his hands. He took the teapot from Sasha and lit the stove, setting the pot on to boil. "I don't know anything about your magic stuff, but I do know a little bit about relationships." He shot Sasha a side glance and smiled. 

Jean felt envious. Connie and Sasha had been dating for three years, and like anyone they had their little quarrels, but everyone could see how enamored he was with her. It hadn't taken him long to confess his feelings and ask her on a date, and he'd been doting on her ever since. In the end, the part of Jean's life that had always been My Friend Sasha transitioned smoothly to My Friends Sasha And Connie. Jean didn't doubt that he did know a good thing or two about love. 

"What if the potion didn't work because they already like you?"

He squeaked. "What?" 

"Oh, that would make sense," Sasha mused. She flicked the teapot and after a moment steam rose from the spout. 

(Jean was smug for a small second. He learned that trick after spending too many mornings running late to class, because he hit snooze about six times and still refused to go out without coffee. And with no money in his college budget to buy one of those fancy coffee machines with all the buttons and single serve coffee pods, he ended up having to wait for the water to boil in his second-hand coffee pot. It took too long and when he mentioned it to his mom she refused to buy him a new coffee machine. But she did teach him how to boil the water quickly. He spent the rest of that night teaching it to Sasha.)

“If you crafted it to change their behavior and their behavior hasn't changed, then maybe they’ve liked you all along,” she added, setting a cup in front of him.

His voice came out too high pitched. “Well, what am I supposed to do now?”

Connie sat next to him with his own cup. “Oh, I don’t know, how about talking to them? Invite them for dinner, make pasta or something. Light a few candles.”

“And for the love of gods, don’t put any magic in it. Or I’m telling your mom. Or I’m posting that photo of you high off your ass on my next blog. Or I’m not letting you see and babysit Muffin anymore.”

Muffin was, admittedly, the deal breaker. He loved that damn cat.

The noise that came out of his throat was stuck somewhere between a groan and a whimper. “Just poison me now, please.”

“Nah,” Sasha laughed, ruffling his hair. “Your life is too entertaining.”

—

Jean wasn’t sure if he should be embarrassed or grateful that Sasha posted _Recipes for Homemade Tomato Sauce_.

—

“Dude,” Eren said. “I thought we were hanging out to play video games?”

Jean scowled. “We are.”

Eren stared at the table critically, flopping down onto the seat next to Marco. “Then what’s with all... this...?” 

Maybe Jean went overboard. He spent an excruciatingly long time (three hours) setting the table to make sure everything was perfect. He dug up his expensive, copper dinnerware set handcrafted from India. 

(He originally got it for Sasha for Winter Solstice, but of course, she already had fancy fucking plates and bowls, and re-gifted it to him for his birthday because, _“You need to own at least something that will impress your mom when she visits over the summer.”_ Of course, Sasha was right, again, and his mom was really pleased with him.) 

He set out his Special Occasion wine glasses. Lit candles. Arranged a flower centerpiece. The napkins, admittedly, were just disposable, dollar-store paper napkins; he opted out of getting the designed ones with little hearts and flowers— they were more expensive.

“It’s for fucking ambiance, dickwad! Haven’t you ever been on a date before?” Jean froze as soon as the words left his mouth.

“Well damn, Jean, if you would have told me I would have worn my nice pants.”

Marco hummed thoughtfully, “The ones you wore to the movies? Those were nice. Your ass looked good.” 

The implication stung. When did Eren and Marco go to the movies? Yeah, they were friends and they had every right to do friend-things without him, but if they went alone and Marco just openly admitted to liking Eren’s ass… 

This was stupid. How could he just assume they’d both like him, or would even be open to polyamory? Why did Sasha and Connie let him do this? He was never going to hear the end of it, especially if it went down in flames and he ruined all their friendships.

Though Eren didn’t seem fazed, just beamed at Marco with the dorkiest grin. “Thank you! I like them, they’re comfy.” Then his eyes lazily slid to meet Jean’s. “Why do you look like you’re about to faint?”

Maybe Sasha and Connie did have a point, he realized, because neither exactly protested about, well, whatever this was being a date. 

He swallowed hard, clearing his throat before forcing shakey words out. “Um.” Brilliant start. “Okay, so, uh, like, it’s okay? That this is a date?”

Marco stared at him like he started levitating, or like there were sparks sizzling from his fingers. Confused. But not surprised. They both knew he practiced, it wasn’t exactly a secret. “Why wouldn’t it be?” 

“I don’t know, I kind of like you both and maybe want to do this seriously...”

Eren was definitely confused and surprised. “Wait wait,” he said, holding his hand up. “Aren’t we already dating?”

“What.”

Marco laughed. Jean wasn’t sure if it was at him, but his brain was too busy short-circuiting to figure it out. “Did you not know?

“We had all those video game nights at my apartment.” Eren pointed a finger at him, accusing but amused. “And Marco paid for us at the movie theater a few times.”

A certain energy built inside of him, embarrassment and something else that was close to absolute love. “Because Marco has a job and we’re both broke!”

“We went to the art museum together and then went out to that coffee shop,” Marco said. “I think you paid that time.”

If Jean didn’t do something he would start sparking, so he flailed his arms. “That was for Eren’s art project. And I had a bunch of coupons.”

“The aquarium,” Eren said. It came out like a challenge, like he was tempting Jean to justify it. Even though all the dots were lining up, Jean didn’t want to believe it, to believe he was so oblivious. 

His cheeks burned as he scratched out, “Marco wanted to see the new starfish exhibit and we were bored.”

“The boardwalk.” Now Marco’s voice was commanding, dark and silky like those damn chocolate cupcakes, making him shiver in just the right way. “Eren won that plushie for you.”

The plushie was squished between the plethora of pillows on his bed but that didn’t _mean_ anything.

“No way.”

Eren licked his lips. “Yes way.

“Are you _ser-ious_.” Jean didn’t mean for his voice to crack but it did, and it sounded like lightning in his ears, crackling around the edges, sharp and strained, and he was so, so fucked.

Seriously, how long? Weeks? _Months? ___

__“Yeah—”_ _

__“Jean, babe,” Marco said, saving him from the devouring smirk that swallowed Eren’s face. “Did you seriously not know?”_ _

__He grumbled an incoherent noise, then said, “No, I didn’t know! If I had I wouldn’t have bothered with the love potions!”_ _

__Silence draped over them, heavy like the fuzzy and ugly throw blanket laying on his couch, the one Eren brought over two weeks ago and forgot about. The candles flickered, a fast _woosh_ that lasted a blink, before the flames sprouted again. They looked brighter, red and orange like the Nike shirts Marco left in his dresser, for the few occasions they had too much beer and he had to stay overnight. _ _

__Now that he thought about it, his Batman sweatshirt was at Eren’s. He only knew because Armin texted him that he had washed it because it was in the pile of Eren’s dirty clothes. (Eren would never own a Batman sweatshirt, the fucking Marvel loving elitist asshole.) Marco also texted him that he had Jean’s headphones, from when he dropped off the cake._ _

__He stared at Marco and Eren, half in horror, half in brutal embarrassment. “Oh. You… We… We are dating? We _are_ dating, holy fuck.”_ _

__Eren broke out into a fit of giggles and Marco smirked, amused. “So is this why you’ve passed off every attempt we’ve tried to kiss you?”_ _

__“You tried to kiss me?”_ _

__“A bunch of times,” Eren said, the last of his giggles trailing off as he stood, stalking towards Jean like he was going to rip him apart. It was the sexiest thing Jean had ever seen._ _

__Until he saw Marco following behind him, his eyes looking feral._ _

__A feeling tensed inside him, anticipation and arousal and fucking _love_. And it had nothing to do with magic. But it sure felt like it._ _

__—_ _

__Jean groaned, tugging his phone off his charger so he could throw it across his room._ _

__Eren protested at the noise, sleepily grumbling as he pulled Jean back under the blankets. “It’s too early.”_ _

__“Too early for what?”_ _

__“Doesn’t matter,” Marco said, pressing a sloppy kiss under his ear. “Go back to sleep.”_ _

__He tried, he really did, but he couldn’t stop thinking of Sasha’s blog post. It was mortifying._ _

_Tasteful Decorations to Make Your Wedding Cake Magical._


End file.
